Bike Tour in the USA (2007), Part 22

Sunday, Sep. 16, 2007

Beaches and Missions

Oceano Dunes → Morro Rock

Distance: 84.20 km, Time: 5:50:36 hrs, Total: 710.62 km

On the small wooden hut at the entrance of the Morro Bay State Park a kind Ranger invited me to register myself, my bike and my small tent at the Hiker & Biker. The way to the campground is located within a forest and frankly spoken, for a man-made campground it does not get much more 'natural' than that. As a kid I enjoyed the smell of trees and especially pinewood with moist needles on the ground; the whole campground's scent let me travel back in time. 

On the Hiker & Biker I had an unexpected surprise in the form of the first fellow biker and was looking forward to a nice evening. He introduced himself as Peter, an American travel biker. He cycled from the north to visit a friend in the south of the USA. Contrary to me he was a comfort camper with a 4-men tent so large that he parked his bike in it. My small one man tent seemed to be lost beside his; he meant that I ‘travel light’. I put mine beside his tent and both were at the edge of the forest not far away from a free range golf course.

Before it got dark I’ve tried to find in the proximity of the State Park something to eat. Leaving the park I had a good view on the Morro Rock, a volcanic plug in the Morro Bay. It is a 581 foot (177 m) lava dome and mostly compost of dacite, an igneous, volcanic rock, and partially of petrified bird feces (solid or semisolid remains of the food that could not be digested), which have compacted into the plug over the year (wikipedia). 

I cycled northbound through a clean neighborhood but beside beautiful houses I could neither find a supermarket nor a restaurant. So I had to stick with the salad for dinner.

During the dinner me and Peter sat together and he told me about his cycling adventure. I asked especially about San Francisco and he only answered: “I arrived with a $1000 bike and returned with a $600 bike!” This meant that this original bike got stolen and he had to get a new one. He warned me to be very careful in the city of 'flower power' San Francisco!

After the sunset we watched a group of deer moving on the edge of the forest on the golf course and eating the grass there in the twilight. What a natural and peaceful sight on this late evening! I took this feeling in my small tent and had a great night!

Monday, Sep. 17, 2007

Friendly America

Morro Rock - San Simeon State Park

Distance: 72.35 km, Time: 5:09:21 hrs, Total: 782.97km

After I peeled myself out of the sleeping bag and the tent at 8:00 in the morning my friend Peter left already. I personally was not in a hurry and wanted to take my time. As I did not take a shower for the last 4 days (!) I took the chance to do it in this nice environment. After I felt clean and fresh I packed my things so slowly that I have to admit that I did not want to leave this comfortable campground at all.

The Ranger at the entrance was also not there but instead of turning right to the north I turned left. Yesterday I discovered a small harbor so I parked my bike there and walked around to have a look. The sun did not rise too long ago so I took a photo in this early morning of the ships fixed by ropes on the harbor. 

Finally I went back to my bike and cruised north to the City of Morro as it is known officially. It is still in San Luis Obispo County and has around 10.000 citizens. The 1st Europeans explored the coast near Morro Bay on Sep. 08, 1769; the Franciscan missionary and expedition member Juan Crespi noted in his diary that “we saw a great rock in the form of a round morro”. The term 'morro' is common to the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian languages, and part of place names where there is a distinctive and prominent hill-shaped rock formation (wikipedia).

(to be continued)

Bike Tour in the USA (2007), Part 13

Tuesday, Sep. 12. 2007

I heard a Mission Bell...

Ventura→Carpinteria

Distance: 46.6 km, Duration: 3:19:08 hrs, Total: 332.25 km

On the way back to the State Beach I cycled through an obvious Mexican district of the city. I discovered a statue of the Mother Mary decorated with flowers. Before I stopped my bike I've heard an approaching mother with her son arguing in very loud Spanish words. As i went off my bike to take a picture suddenly they stopped talking, passed me quietly and continued with the same loud voice after a reasonable distance from me. It was a strange but somehow shows the relationship between Mexicans and White Americans in California. 

Statue of the Holy Mother

I arrived at the ‘right time’ on the gate of the State Beach, filled out the registration and paid US$5.00/night for the Hiker & Biker part of the campground. The Ranger gave me a green card which I should fix visible on my one man tent. Ready!

Slowly I cycled to my place, on the way I passed the huge Recreational vehicles (RV), many long-term campers. As I put up my tent passed another camper walking his dog and told me about his cycle adventures. Seeing me he felt pity that he did not bring his bike along. He showed me his own small camping trailer which, as he put it, has a German design. Truly, it was an egg-shaped, also in the US sold, T@B camp trailer, ‘made in Germany’ by a company called Knaus Tabbert.

   I remember as a boy I'v seen photos of these trailers mostly black and white. In the 1960s and the 1970s with the German ‘Economic Miracle’ came the wish to travel. Already in 1936 in the Eastern Part of Germany the constructor Max Würdig designed the “Dübener Ei (Egg)”. Because of the War the first series went into production in 1955 in the East Germany; after 2000-2200 pieces the production was shut down with the reunification in 1990. Later the above mentioned company developed the design further, the design makes the trailer so interesting...
   After I was finished my building up my one man tent (a few seconds), storing all the things etc. I took my time to watch a family of obvious first time campers with the mother and her two daughters trying to set up their tent. It was great entertainment to watch them. No one had an idea what was going on but everyone knew it with a very loud voice better than the others. After one hour (!) at least the shackyy alloy frame was standing.

Me, my Bike and my Tent on the Carpinteria State Beach Biker & Hiker

   Actually I had everything prepared for a pleasant evening and a quiet night but somehow it was too early to sleep. Therefore I took a extensive shower and cycled afterwards to a shopping center in Caprinteria for a $2.25 dinner.
   Back to my tent I could guess from the sky the development of an impressive sunset. I grabbed my camera and ran through over a dune onto the sand of the beach. As the reader can see below the effort was quite worthwhile. One of the most astonishing sunsets I could observe with my own eyes, the photo (taken in the quality of 2007!) caught the atmosphere quite well! Is it not a beautiful world we are living in? 

Sunset at the Carpinteria State Beach

   I enjoyed the view until it really got pitch dark. Slowly I stumbled through the sand and over the dunes until I walked on solid ground already on the campground. Some of the campers had opened oil barrels with burning wood in them to warm them during the colder evening. Someone shouted an invitation in my direction but I rejected with thanks, I was too tired.
   Basically I do not like riding my bike in the night, don't like to be active in the dark on unfamiliar grounds during travels. I have the habit to go to sleep and to rise early. This is, for me, convenient and I feel, above all, much safer. Here on a the Carpinteria campground I continue with these habits. 
   Already at 9:00 o'clock I snuggled myself into the sleeping bag. Life can be very good!

Carpinteria State Beach in the Night

(to be continued)